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Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Popular science

The Maths That Made Us - how numbers created civilisation (Paperback): Michael Brooks The Maths That Made Us - how numbers created civilisation (Paperback)
Michael Brooks
R315 R252 Discovery Miles 2 520 Save R63 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

Quadratic equations, Pythagoras' theorem, imaginary numbers, and pi - you may remember studying these at school, but did anyone ever explain why? Never fear - bestselling science writer, and your new favourite maths teacher, Michael Brooks, is here to help. In The Maths That Made Us, Brooks reminds us of the wonders of numbers: how they enabled explorers to travel far across the seas and astronomers to map the heavens; how they won wars and halted the HIV epidemic; how they are responsible for the design of your home and almost everything in it, down to the smartphone in your pocket. His clear explanations of the maths that built our world, along with stories about where it came from and how it shaped human history, will engage and delight. From ancient Egyptian priests to the Apollo astronauts, and Babylonian tax collectors to juggling robots, join Brooks and his extraordinarily eccentric cast of characters in discovering how maths made us who we are today.

Darwin - The man, his great voyage, and his Theory of Evolution (Hardcover): John van Wyhe Darwin - The man, his great voyage, and his Theory of Evolution (Hardcover)
John van Wyhe 1
R605 R385 Discovery Miles 3 850 Save R220 (36%) Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Darwin takes a look at the life of this incredible man, from his birth, his ground-breaking publications and far-flung travels, Darwinism and his theories on evolution, all the way to his final days. Over 160 stunning images and illustrations are included within Darwin, ranging from personal diary entries (such as those he made when deciding whether to marry or not), letters and handwritten notes, as well as sketches from Darwin's famous works. Revealing the famous scientist's life in compelling detail, Darwin covers not only his scientific career and On the Origin of Species but his personal struggles also, allowing us to see what truly made the man.

The Universe in a Box - A New Cosmic History (Hardcover): Andrew Pontzen The Universe in a Box - A New Cosmic History (Hardcover)
Andrew Pontzen
R672 R548 Discovery Miles 5 480 Save R124 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

How was our universe built? What happened at its beginning? And where do humans fit in? We are a minuscule part of an incredible continuum: a chain of events spanning 13.8 billion years, with an infinite future. But what does that future hold? And will we ever truly understand our cosmic home? The Universe In a Box is Andrew Pontzen's tribute to simulation - the remarkable fusion of technology and science that, over the last century, has allowed us to understand the distant past and far future of the universe. It challenges everything we think we know about galaxies, black holes and matter itself. And it reveals the pioneer scientists who unlocked mysteries of space, from redshift to improbable dark materials that pass, ghost-like, through solid rock. Illuminating, provocative and bold, this is the story of the computer codes that allow us to look up, to learn, and to discover our place in the cosmos.

Understanding Natural Selection (Paperback): Michael Ruse Understanding Natural Selection (Paperback)
Michael Ruse
R504 R412 Discovery Miles 4 120 Save R92 (18%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Natural selection, as introduced by Charles Darwin in the Origin of Species (1859), has always been a topic of great conceptual and empirical interest. This book puts Darwin's theory of evolution in historical context showing that, in important respects, his central mechanism of natural selection gives the clue to understanding the nature of organisms. Natural selection has important implications, not just for the understanding of life's history - single-celled organism to man - but also for our understanding of contemporary social norms, as well as the nature of religious belief. The book is written in clear, non-technical language, appealing not just to philosophers, historians, and biologists, but also to general readers who find thinking about important issues both challenging and exciting.

Blood - The science, medicine and mythology of menstruation (Paperback): Dr. Jennifer Gunter Blood - The science, medicine and mythology of menstruation (Paperback)
Dr. Jennifer Gunter
R529 R434 Discovery Miles 4 340 Save R95 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

'The world's most famous and outspoken gynaecologist' (The Guardian) fights myths and fearmongering with real science, inclusive facts, and shame-free advice on the topic that impacts more than 1.8 billion people worldwide: menstruation. Women can expect to have between 350 and 450 periods in a lifetime. So why is real information so hard to find? Despite its significance, most education about menstruation focuses either on increasing the chances of pregnancy or preventing it. And while both are crucial, women deserve to know more about their bodies than just what happens in service to reproduction. Not knowing how your body works makes it challenging to advocate for yourself. Consequently, many people suffer in silence thinking their bodies are uniquely broken or they turn to disreputable sources. Blood is a practical, empowering guide to what's typical, what's concerning and when to seek care - recounted with the no-nonsense expertise and frank, fearless wit that have made Dr Jen today's most trusted voice in women's health. Dr Jen answers all your period-related questions, including: What exactly happens during menstruation? How heavy is too heavy? How much should periods hurt? And provides essential information about topics such as: * The impact of stress and health on the menstrual cycle * Menstrual migraines, PMS and period diarrhea (yes, it's totally normal) * Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids * Endometriosis and the latest treatments * The endometrium's (the uterine lining's) fascinating connection to the immune system * Different cultural perceptions of menstruation and how they affect girls and women * Menstruation and the trans and non-binary experience * Legitimate menstrual products and the facts behind toxic shock syndrome * The risks and benefits of hysterectomies Blood is about much more than biology. It's an all-in-one, revolutionary guide that will change the way we think about, talk about - and don't talk about - our bodies and our well-being.

Numbers Don't Lie - 71 Things You Need to Know About the World (Paperback): Vaclav Smil Numbers Don't Lie - 71 Things You Need to Know About the World (Paperback)
Vaclav Smil
R265 R212 Discovery Miles 2 120 Save R53 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

'My favourite author has done it again. Numbers Don't Lie is by far his most accessible book to date, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the world. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning' Bill Gates Is flying dangerous? How much do the world's cows weigh? And what makes people happy? From Earth's nations and inhabitants, through the fuels and foods that energize them, to the transportation and inventions of our modern world - and how all of this affects the planet itself - in Numbers Don't Lie, Professor Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge lazy thinking. Smil is on a mission to make facts matter, because after all, numbers may not lie, but which truth do they convey? 'Smil's title says it all: to understand the world, you need to follow the trendlines, not the headlines. This is a compelling, fascinating, and most important, realistic portrait of the world and where it's going' Steven Pinker 'The best book to read to better understand our world. It should be on every bookshelf!' Linda Yueh 'There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil' Guardian Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of over forty books on topics including energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment and public policy. No other living scientist has had more books (on a wide variety of topics) reviewed in Nature. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, in 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. This is his first book for a more general readership.

After Man: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover): Dougal Dixon After Man: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition (Hardcover)
Dougal Dixon
R771 R631 Discovery Miles 6 310 Save R140 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days
Love is the Drug - The Chemical Future of Our Relationships (Hardcover): Brian D Earp, Julian Savulescu Love is the Drug - The Chemical Future of Our Relationships (Hardcover)
Brian D Earp, Julian Savulescu
R603 Discovery Miles 6 030 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

What if there were a pill for love? Or an anti-love drug, designed to help us break up? This controversial and timely new book argues that recent medical advances have brought chemical control of our romantic lives well within our grasp. Substances affecting love and relationships, whether prescribed by doctors or even illicitly administered, are not some far-off speculation - indeed our most intimate connections are already being influenced by pills we take for other purposes, such as antidepressants. Treatments involving certain psychoactive substances, including MDMA-the active ingredient in Ecstasy-might soon exist to encourage feelings of love and help ordinary couples work through relationship difficulties. Others may ease a breakup or soothe feelings of rejection. Such substances could have transformative implications for how we think about and experience love. This brilliant intervention into the debate builds a case for conducting further research into "love drugs" and "anti-love drugs" and explores their ethical implications for individuals and society. Rich in anecdotal evidence and case-studies, the book offers a highly readable insight into a cutting-edge field of medical research that could have profound effects on us all. Will relationships be the same in the future? Will we still marry? It may be up to you to decide whether you want a chemical romance. -- .

Water Always Wins - Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge (Paperback): Erica Gies Water Always Wins - Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge (Paperback)
Erica Gies
R345 R284 Discovery Miles 2 840 Save R61 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A journey through time and around the world to uncover water's true nature, and how it can help us adapt to climate change. Trouble with water – increasingly frequent, extreme floods and droughts – is one of the first obvious signs of climate change. Meanwhile, urban sprawl, industrial agriculture and engineered water infrastructure are making things worse. As our control attempts fail, we are forced to recognize an eternal truth: sooner or later, water always wins. Award-winning science journalist Erica Gies follows water 'detectives' as they search for clues to water's past and present. Their tools: cutting-edge science and research into historical ecology, animal life, and earlier human practices. Their discoveries: a deeper understanding of what water wants and how accommodating nature can protect us and other species. Modern civilizations tend to speed water away. We have forgotten that it must flex with the rhythms of the earth, and that only collaboration with nature will allow us to forge a more resilient future.

The Facemaker - One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I (Paperback): Lindsey Fitzharris The Facemaker - One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I (Paperback)
Lindsey Fitzharris
R295 R231 Discovery Miles 2 310 Save R64 (22%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind's military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. The war's new weaponry, from tanks to shrapnel, enabled slaughter on an industrial scale, and given the nature of trench warfare, thousands of soldiers sustained facial injuries. Medical advances meant that more survived their wounds than ever before, yet disfigured soldiers did not receive the hero's welcome they deserved. In The Facemaker, award-winning historian Lindsey Fitzharris tells the astonishing story of the pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who dedicated himself to restoring the faces - and the identities - of a brutalized generation. Gillies, a Cambridge-educated New Zealander, became interested in the nascent field of plastic surgery after encountering the human wreckage on the front. Returning to Britain, he established one of the world's first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction in Sidcup, south-east England. There, Gillies assembled a unique group of doctors, nurses and artists whose task was to recreate what had been torn apart. At a time when losing a limb made a soldier a hero, but losing a face made him a monster to a society largely intolerant of disfigurement, Gillies restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits. Meticulously researched and grippingly told, The Facemaker places Gillies's ingenious surgical innovations alongside the poignant stories of soldiers whose lives were wrecked and repaired. The result is a vivid account of how medicine and art can merge, and of what courage and imagination can accomplish in the presence of relentless horror.

Black Holes - The Key to Understanding the Universe (Hardcover): Professor Brian Cox, Professor Jeff Forshaw Black Holes - The Key to Understanding the Universe (Hardcover)
Professor Brian Cox, Professor Jeff Forshaw
R475 R406 Discovery Miles 4 060 Save R69 (15%) Ships in 3 - 5 working days

A Brief History of Time for the 21st Century At the heart of our galaxy lies a monster so deadly, not even light can escape its grasp. Its secrets lie waiting to be discovered. It's time to explore our universe's most mysterious inhabitants Black Holes At the heart of the Milky Way lies a supermassive black hole 4 million times more massive than our Sun. A place where space and time are so warped that light is trapped if it ventures within 12 million km. According to Einstein, inside lies the end of time. According to 21st-century physics, the reality may be far more bizarre. Black holes lie where the most massive stars used to shine and at the edge of our current understanding. They are naturally occurring objects, the inevitable creations of gravity when too much matter collapses into not enough space. And yet, although the laws of nature predict them, they fail fully to describe them. Black holes are places in space and time where the laws of gravity, quantum physics and thermodynamics collide. Originally thought to be so intellectually troubling that they simply could not exist, it is only in the past few years that we have begun to glimpse a new synthesis; a deep connection between gravity and quantum information theory that describes a holographic universe in which space and time emerge from a network of quantum bits, and wormholes span the void. In this groundbreaking book, Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw take you to the edge of our understanding of black holes; a scientific journey to the research frontier spanning a century of physics, from Einstein to Hawking and beyond, that ends with the startling conclusion that our world may operate like a giant quantum computer.

The Musical Human - A History of Life on Earth - A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' (Paperback): Michael Spitzer The Musical Human - A History of Life on Earth - A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' (Paperback)
Michael Spitzer
R430 R360 Discovery Miles 3 600 Save R70 (16%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Full of delightful nuggets' Guardian online 'Entertaining, informative and philosphical ... An essential read' All About History 'Extraordinary range ... All the world and more is here' Evening Standard 165 million years ago saw the birth of rhythm. 66 million years ago came the first melody. 40 thousand years ago Homo sapiens created the first musical instrument. Today music fills our lives. How we have created, performed and listened to music throughout history has defined what our species is and how we understand who we are. Yet it is an overlooked part of our origin story. The Musical Human takes us on an exhilarating journey across the ages - from Bach to BTS and back - to explore the vibrant relationship between music and the human species. With insights from a wealth of disciplines, world-leading musicologist Michael Spitzer renders a global history of music on the widest possible canvas, from global history to our everyday lives, from insects to apes, humans to artificial intelligence. 'Michael Spitzer has pulled off the impossible: a Guns, Germs and Steel for music' Daniel Levitin 'A thrilling exploration of what music has meant and means to humankind' Ian Bostridge

Attention Span - Finding Focus for a Fulfilling Life (Paperback): Gloria Mark Attention Span - Finding Focus for a Fulfilling Life (Paperback)
Gloria Mark
R456 Discovery Miles 4 560 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A groundbreaking new look at how we pay attention that can help us perform better - and be happier - in the digital world. Psychologist Gloria Mark began researching how technology affects human attention when offices were first getting computers. Over the last 30 years, she has tracked changes in our attention spans and stress levels, and in the fundamental way our brains process information. Now in Attention Span, Dr Mark shows how much of what we think we know about attention is wrong. She explores the current crisis of focus and productivity that is so deeply entwined with rising rates of anxiety and depression, and investigates what we might be able to do about it. Delving into the newly celebrated concept of 'kinetic attention', she introduces a more balanced understanding of the rhythm between deep focus and less focused states, which may actually serve to make us happier and more productive in the long term.

The First Of Everything - A History of Human Invention, Innovation and Discovery (Hardcover): Stewart Ross The First Of Everything - A History of Human Invention, Innovation and Discovery (Hardcover)
Stewart Ross 1
R295 R236 Discovery Miles 2 360 Save R59 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

A lively and highly readable account of the origins, invention and discovery of just about everything on the planet, the truly global coverage of The First of Everything ranges from the Big Bang to driverless cars.

The First of Everything follows a context-setting introduction with seven stimulating sections: In the Beginning (The Big Bang to Homo Sapiens), At Home (the first glass windows to dentures and bikinis); Health and Medicine (herbs to heart transplants); Getting About (donkeys to double deckers); Science and Engineering (potter's wheel to webcam); Peace and War (the first king to fighter-bombers); and Culture (cave painting to rap). This fascinating book takes in the full sweep of human development and ingenuity over twelve millennia; Africa, for example, gave us the first monarch, algebra and great religions emerged from the Middle East, democracy was born in Europe, and America made the first flying machines. More than just a string of dry lists, the colourful text's intriguing insights and asides make it as enjoyable for the casual browser as the more serious researcher.

This Way to the Universe - A Journey into Physics (Paperback): Michael Dine This Way to the Universe - A Journey into Physics (Paperback)
Michael Dine
R265 R212 Discovery Miles 2 120 Save R53 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

'Extraordinary' Leonard Susskind 'A rare event' Sean Carroll _____ When leading theoretical physicist Professor Michael Dine was asked where you could find an accessible and authoritative book that would teach you about the Big Bang, Dark Matter, the Higgs boson and the cutting edge of physics now, he had nothing he could recommend. So he wrote it himself. In This Way to the Universe, Dine takes us on a fascinating tour through the history of modern physics - from Newtonian mechanics to quantum, from particle to nuclear physics - delving into the wonders of our universe at its largest, smallest, and within our daily lives. If you are looking for the one book to help you understand physics, written in language anyone can follow, this is it. _____ 'A tour de force of literally all of fundamental physics' BBC Sky at Night magazine 'Everything you wanted to know about physics but were afraid to ask' Priyamvada Natarajan, author of Mapping the Heavens

The Book of Minds - How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, From Animals to Aliens (Paperback): Philip Ball The Book of Minds - How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, From Animals to Aliens (Paperback)
Philip Ball
R330 R258 Discovery Miles 2 580 Save R72 (22%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

Understanding the human mind and how it relates to the world that we experience has challenged philosophers for centuries. How then do we even begin to think about 'minds' that are not human? Science now has plenty to say about the properties of mind. In recent decades, the mind - both human and otherwise - has been explored by scientists in fields ranging from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where they might be found - including in plants, aliens, and God - Philip Ball pulls these multidisciplinary pieces together to explore what sorts of minds we might expect to find in the universe. In so doing, he offers for the first time a unified way of thinking about what minds are and what they can do, arguing that in order to understand our own minds and imagine those of others, we need to move on from considering the human mind as a standard against which all others should be measured, and to think about the 'space of possible minds'. By identifying and mapping out properties of mind without prioritizing the human, Ball sheds new light on a host of fascinating questions. What moral rights should we afford animals, and can we understand their thoughts? Should we worry that AI is going to take over society? If there are intelligent aliens out there, how could we communicate with them? Should we? Understanding the space of possible minds also reveals ways of making advances in understanding some of the most challenging questions in contemporary science: What is thought? What is consciousness? And what (if anything) is free will? The more we learn about the minds of other creatures, from octopuses to chimpanzees, and to imagine the potential minds of computers and alien intelligences, the greater the perspective we have on if and how our own is different. Ball's thrillingly ambitious The Book of Minds about the nature and existence of minds is more mind-expanding than we could imagine. In this fascinating panorama of other minds, we come to better know our own.

Super You - How Technology is Revolutionizing What It Means to Be Human (Paperback): Andy Walker, Kay Svela Walker, Sean... Super You - How Technology is Revolutionizing What It Means to Be Human (Paperback)
Andy Walker, Kay Svela Walker, Sean Carruthers
R568 R113 Discovery Miles 1 130 Save R455 (80%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Rewind Your Biology and Live Like a 20-Year-Old! Edit Your Genes to Live Disease-Free! Find a Parking Space with Your Internet-Connected Brain! Advances in longevity, genetics, nanotech, and robotics will make all this possible! This is not science fiction. This is your future. Right now, pioneering scientists and technologists are transforming what it means to be human by overcoming biological limits that have existed since our ancestors swung out of the trees...and into the suburbs. With incredible inspiration and perseverance, these visionaries are solving deep problems of human health and longevity-and their progress is accelerating. Super You takes you inside their labs, companies, and minds...to show how you can reap the benefits of a stronger, longer, better, life. You'll learn how to start hacking your life today, to become more super, every day. Discover what's possible when yesterday's human limits are gone! Learn how evolution became obsolete-and why it's time to start hacking yourself Save your life with whirring "jet engine" hearts, printed organs, and other medical miracles Rewire and turbo-boost your ape brain Become a mega-mind by connecting your brain directly to the Internet to use Google's synthetic neocortex Become superhuman with cyborg technology Design and mold your looks Genetically engineer your baby to be a tennis star (and other true stories) Prepare for the political and religious backlash against the future Discover how scientists will make death obsolete by treating it like a curable disease-and how to live until they do

This Mortal Coil - A Guardian, Economist & Prospect Book of the Year (Paperback): Andrew Doig This Mortal Coil - A Guardian, Economist & Prospect Book of the Year (Paperback)
Andrew Doig
R335 R268 Discovery Miles 2 680 Save R67 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

A GUARDIAN, ECONOMIST AND PROSPECT BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A superb book' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'An empowering story of human ingenuity' Economist 'Full of curious facts' The Times Causes of death have changed irrevocably across time. In the course of a few centuries we have gone from a world where disease or violence were likely to strike anyone at any age, and where famine could be just one bad harvest away, to one where in many countries excess food is more of a problem than a lack of it. Why have the reasons we die changed so much? How is it that a century ago people died mainly from infectious disease, while today the leading causes of death in industrialised nations are heart disease and stroke? And what do changing causes of death reveal about how previous generations have lived? University of Manchester Professor Andrew Doig provides an eye-opening portrait of death throughout history, looking at particular causes - from infectious disease to genetic disease, violence to diet - who they affected, and the people who made it possible to overcome them. Along the way we hear about the long and torturous story of the discovery of vitamin C and its role in preventing scurvy; the Irish immigrant who opened the first washhouse for the poor of Liverpool, and in so doing educated the public on the importance of cleanliness in combating disease; and the Church of England curate who, finding his new church equipped with a telephone, started the Samaritans to assist those in emotional distress. This Mortal Coil is a thrilling story of growing medical knowledge and social organisation, of achievement and, looking to the future, of promise.

Animals in Translation - The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow (Paperback, New edition): Temple Grandin Animals in Translation - The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow (Paperback, New edition)
Temple Grandin 2
R394 R321 Discovery Miles 3 210 Save R73 (19%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

"Animals in Translation" is the culmination of Temple Grandin's extraordinary life's work, drawing upon the latest research, her distinguished career as an animal scientist and her own experience of being autistic. With co-author Catherine Johnson, Grandin argues that while 'normal people' convert experience into words and abstractions, animals and autistics process the world as sensory information - specific pictures, sights and sounds. This difference is the key to understanding how animals see, think and feel. As much a revelation about life with autism as it is about life with animals, "Animals in Translation" explores pain, fear, aggression, love, friendship, communication and learning in a startling book that will change the way you think about animals.

Marine Shells of Goa - A Guide to Identification (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2017): Sangeeta M. Sonak Marine Shells of Goa - A Guide to Identification (Hardcover, 1st ed. 2017)
Sangeeta M. Sonak
R1,396 Discovery Miles 13 960 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This book offers a unique introduction to the study of shells and molluscs for all those who take pleasure in shells, the treasure of the sea. However, unlike other shell albums, compendiums or guides, the central focus of this book is on shells and not molluscs. Therefore, in addition to the classification and identification of shells, the book also addresses aspects including the shell art and shell craft of Goa, the importance of shells, and literary works related to shells and their writers. The book also describes various shell habitats of Goa. The primary objective of this book is to introduce readers to the concept of shell heritage and to spark curiosity and scientific interest, not just among conchologists but also local and visiting beachgoers. Accordingly, it primarily uses straightforward, non-technical language. The book will also appeal to those readers without any previous knowledge of the subject, helping them to understand and appreciate the shells that they collect from the seashores of Goa.

Fermat's Last Theorem (Paperback): Simon Singh Fermat's Last Theorem (Paperback)
Simon Singh
R232 Discovery Miles 2 320 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come. 'Maths is one of the purest forms of thought, and to outsiders mathematicians may seem almost otherworldly' In 1963, schoolboy Andrew Wiles stumbled across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem. Unsolved for over 300 years, he dreamed of cracking it. Combining thrilling storytelling with a fascinating history of scientific discovery, Simon Singh uncovers how an Englishman, after years of secret toil, finally solved mathematics' most challenging problem. Fermat's Last Theorem is remarkable story of human endeavour, obsession and intellectual brilliance, sealing its reputation as a classic of popular science writing. 'To read it is to realise that there is a world of beauty and intellectual challenge that is denied to 99.9 per cent of us who are not high-level mathematicians' The Times

The Playbook - How to Deny Science, Sell Lies, and Make a Killing in the Corporate World (Paperback): Jennifer Jacquet The Playbook - How to Deny Science, Sell Lies, and Make a Killing in the Corporate World (Paperback)
Jennifer Jacquet
R295 R231 Discovery Miles 2 310 Save R64 (22%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

'This brilliantly subversive and witty book lays bare the techniques of manipulation and disinformation that keep the rich and powerful rich and powerful. . . A landmark book' Brian Eno 'Very funny, as satire should be, until you realise it's deadly serious' Adam Rutherford, BBC Radio 4 Start the Week Knowledge is power. Which is why the rich and powerful don't want you to have it. The Playbook is an exposé of the extraordinary lengths that corporations will go to in order to spread disinformation and deny the scientific facts - around climate change, public health risks and worker safety - when they don't suit their agenda. Written in the form of a corporate handbook for tobacco, oil and pharmaceutical company executives, it is a litany of obfuscation techniques, denial, delays and outright lies, including: how to recruit an academic 'expert' who is willing to compromise their integrity (or is just short of cash), how to massage the statistics, how to use legal and even physical intimidation against reporters and activists, and how, just as in a casino, to keep your customers comfortable, unquestioning, unthinking and playing along for as long as possible. Part satire, part social history, part guide to resistance, The Playbook is a charge sheet against the powerful. It shows us how, by understanding the methods and motives of disinformation campaigns, we may be able to outwit them.

The Song of the Cell - An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human (Hardcover): Siddhartha Mukherjee The Song of the Cell - An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human (Hardcover)
Siddhartha Mukherjee
R778 R638 Discovery Miles 6 380 Save R140 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

**A NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, MAIL ON SUNDAY and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022** 'As big a topic as life itself; I'm not sure a writer could cover it better' The Times From the prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies, The Song of the Cell tells the vivid, thrilling and suspenseful story of the fundamental unit of life. In the late 1600s, a distinguished English polymath, Robert Hooke, and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, look down their hand-made microscopes. What they see introduces a radical concept that alters both biology and medicine forever. It is the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny, self-contained, self-regulating units. Our organs, our physiology, our selves, are built from these compartments. Hooke christens them 'cells'. The discovery of cells announced the birth of a new kind of medicine. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer's, AIDS, lung cancer - all could be re-conceived as the results of cells, or a cellular ecosystem, functioning abnormally. And all could be treated by therapeutic manipulations of cells. This revolution in cell biology is still in progress: it represents one of the most significant advances in science and medicine. Both panoramic and intimate, this is Siddhartha Mukherjee's most spectacular book yet. 'Brilliant ... medical magic' Daily Telegraph

On the Origin of Time - Stephen Hawking's final theory (Hardcover): Thomas Hertog On the Origin of Time - Stephen Hawking's final theory (Hardcover)
Thomas Hertog
R622 R510 Discovery Miles 5 100 Save R112 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

A new theory of the universe, twenty years in the making, by Stephen Hawking and his close collaborator Thomas Hertog. Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. Pondering this mystery led Hawking to study the big bang origin of the universe, but his early work ran into a crisis when the maths predicted many big bangs producing a multiverse - countless different universes, most of which were far too bizarre to harbour life. Holed up in the theoretical physics department at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking and his friend and collaborator Thomas Hertog worked shoulder to shoulder for twenty years on a new quantum theory of the cosmos. As their discoveries took them deeper into the big bang, they were startled to find a deeper level of evolution in which the physical laws themselves transform and simplify until particles, forces, and even time itself fades away. Once upon a time, perhaps, there was no time. This led them to a revolutionary idea: the laws of physics are not set in stone but are born and co-evolve as the universe they govern takes shape. On the Origin of Time takes the reader on a quest to understand questions bigger than our universe, peering into the extreme quantum physics of black holes and the big bang and drawing on the latest developments in string theory. As Hawking's final days drew near, the two collaborators published a final theory proposing their radical new Darwinian perspective on the origins of our universe. Hertog offers a striking new vision that ties together, more deeply than ever, the nature of the universe's birth with our existence. Their theory profoundly transforms the way we think about our place in the order of the cosmos and may ultimately prove Hawking's biggest legacy.

The Treeline - The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth (Paperback): Ben Rawlence The Treeline - The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth (Paperback)
Ben Rawlence
R265 R212 Discovery Miles 2 120 Save R53 (20%) Ships in 5 - 10 working days

A ground-breaking and beautifully written investigation into the Arctic Treeline with an urgent environmental message. 'Evocative, wise and unflinching' Jay Griffiths, author of Wild The Arctic treeline is the frontline of climate change, where the trees have been creeping towards the pole for fifty years already. Scientists are only just beginning to understand the astonishing significance of these northern forests for all life on Earth. At the treeline, Rawlence witnesses the accelerating impact of climate change and the devastating legacies of colonialism and capitalism. But he also finds reasons for hope. Humans are creatures of the forest; we have always evolved with trees and The Treeline asks us where our co-evolution might take us next. SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES CROPPER WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 'A moving, thoughtful, deeply reported elegy for our vanishing world and a map of the one to come' Nathaniel Rich, author of Losing Earth 'A lyrical and passionate book... The Treeline is a sobering, powerful account of how trees might just save the world, as long as we are sensible enough to let them' Mail on Sunday 'Ben Rawlence circumnavigates the very top of the globe - returning with a warning, in this enthralling and wonderfully written book' Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees

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